Cursed Green Eyes
by SasukeUchihaPHTanteiTrunkslove
Summary: Used in one life, left to suffer in another, the boy who lived will no longer be a tool used by others. This time he fights on his own for what he believes is right, regardless of who he loses. Jack Vessalius-also known to some as Harry Potter, must suffer over and over before he finally triumphs and will live a life free of manipulation. Reincarnation fic, Hogwarts bashing
1. Chapter 1

A/N:Don't know where this bizarre idea hit me, but I'm gonna go along with it. So, just let me type up the story and see where it goes. I'm a fan of Harry Potter and some of the minor characters but I really hate how the Wizarding World operates, so I'm gonna be frank here and just say this story will be quite AU from the conventional series. I do not own Harry Potter or Pandora Hearts.

* * *

One: Nothingness

"You are _nothingness, Oz Vessalius," _Jack Vessalius whispered, getting down on his hands and knees and hovering over the other being who shared his body with him, "You destroy everything!"

Oz looked at him in confusion, Jack knew the other was not capable of comprehending such cruelty yet. It was just a plush rabbit that knew nothing of the world besides its annoying cries for Alice to help it. What need did he have to help the boy, no,thing, when no help had been extended to him throughout either of his _lives_?

He frowned as he thought back over that last statement. Lives...if you counted the many times his soul had rewound due to the Abyss rejecting his soul, he supposed he had lived many lives as Oz "Vessalius", and then as Jack Vessalius, but still there was always only one spot his damned mind would return to: the place he had been murdered at before he had wound up being born to his mother and father one hundred years ago.

* * *

Jack Vessalius paused for a moment, allowing Oz to breathe for a moment. His pretenses of maintaining a happy facade was gone. He would not allow the boy to see what he originated from just yet. Perhaps he could...explain things to the boy and maybe settle things out between them. That would be nice. The blond pushed his ponytail out of his face and sat down, staring at his green robes...green, the color he hated, the color of his _damned eyes_...it had never changed and he knew it never would.

His fists tightened so hard as he stared at his reflection, glaring at the green Vessalius eyes that glared back, but those eyes were also a reminder of the past he'd hoped he'd completely thrown away and left to rot in the pits of hell like it was.

For you see, Jack Vessalius was not always Jack Vessalius. Once upon a time ago, or perhaps in another lifetime, he was in fact Harry Potter, the boy who lived, or who met a tragic end at the hands of his relatives, way before his fifteenth birthday, in fact.

No, he frowned, he had been fifteen when his other life had met its end at the hands of his damned relatives. Jack could only laugh at the cruelty of which his other life had ended. He had been forced, year after year, to languish in torment, emotional abuse and pain at the hands of his loving relatives, and then go back to that wretched place, that place where he was blamed for everything that went wrong, where he was liked by no one and where everyone hated him and thought his existence a curse.

Yes, it had been after the death of the boy named Cedric or Frederick, Jack mused, it had been around one hundred years or more since his first death, and the memories were starting to fade. But he could still remember the cruelest ones, no they stayed in his mind regardless of how much he wanted to push them down to the surface.

He recalled the look of wicked joy on Uncle Vernon's face as he locked the door behind them, and how his aunt and Dudley had turned on him and started to ask him how invincible he really was. Then they started to hurt him and torture him. One day, he recalled how his life had ended.

He had been thrown outside and beaten by his dear uncle and then his loving uncle had decided to take him to his traditional spot-and he had used a tire iron to beat him into blissful unconsciousness and then, as he lay there bleeding, had walked away calmly.

It had been winter, also. So he had also frozen to death. Wasn't that pathetic, the great Boy-Who-Lived, the great savior of the Wizarding World, had not died in battle heroically against Voldemort, but had instead been murdered by the elements and his uncaring relatives, who were only Muggles and one of which was a fat pig who couldn't do anything if he wanted to.

Then he had once again been reborn as Jack Vessalius, mercifully his scar had not returned and he didn't need glasses this time around. However, his eyes still stayed that same damned shade of emerald-green that he was really starting to despise. Thankfully, his hair had lightened and was blond. He really did like himself better as a blond.

However, once again he was stuck with abusive relatives, only it was his own damned parents who had taken part in it; his father here had almost-he would say bloody but found it too outdated for his tastes-abused him but he thought better of it and ditched his mother, who afterwards decided to treat her son like garbage.

Harry Potter, or Jack Vessalius, could safely say the happiest time of his life was with Lacie. If only he had someone like Lacie around in his old life, someone who always believed in him. Lacie was so sweet and kind and gentle. She accepted Jack instead of mistreating him.

* * *

Yet, the life he had been born into was once again, filled with evil to the core and more child abuse was going on, uninvestigated and ignored. Jack was filled with rage upon learning that the so-called heroes of the Abyss had willingly murdered their own siblings because of the different color of their irises and essentially Revis had been the one responsible for making Glen as messed up as he was.

Their whole twisted system claimed to be justice when it was nothing but a joke-hmm, didn't that sound familiar-they killed children and used them as slaves in their little games when all they desired was control-they also claimed to be acting for the better good by hiding the truth from ordinary muggles and using this power for only themselves.

Jack couldn't give a damn about the Baskervilles, but now that they were back and trying to ruin his life again, he had to stand up, had to do something. He had lost the love of his life, had been forced to age again and again, and now he was being threatened again? He glanced over at Alice, sweet lovable Alice.

He recalled seeing her tear her throat out with great remorse. Lacie would have never wished death upon her children, and she would judge him for allowing that to happen, he knew. Alice and Alyss...regardless of whether or not they were a means to an end, that didn't mean that he didn't come to care about them, because he had. Yes, even annoying, bratty Alice was to be missed.

But she had come back and taken Oz away from him, depriving him of his power. Yet again he had to endure more agony for 100 years. Having Oz as a companion wasn't a bad thing in and of itself, the rabbit had an interesting mind and was sharper than he appeared. Plus, the two of them had a mutual enemy this time: Zai Vessalius.

Jack held his face in his hands, cursing whoever had decided to make him suffer this much throughout his lifetimes. He just wanted to die. Life was hell without Lacie, without the old Oswald, without Alice...

* * *

"Jack?" Oz's voice called out. The boy was watching him.

"Oz, you are B-rabbit, not Alice." Jack whispered before presenting him with an image of his doll self. "You are the first B-rabbit and were Alice's closest companion before you gave Lacie's memories to me and crumpled into pieces. There were two bodies you used and one was turned into a chain by the Will of Abyss for me to use to destroy the world for Lacie. That was you, Oz. You became a chain, but when Alice took your powers you lost all your memories and assumed you had always been human. That is your sin."

"So I'm not real?"

"Yes," Jack whispered.

"So everyone has been using me this whole time? So, my life is a lie and no one actually loves or cares about me?" Oz whispered. Oh, god, that hit so close to home. The blond Vessalius shuddered.

"...Alice did. She gave up her life to help you, Oz. You were my tool years ago." Jack said.

"Jack...why do you hate your eyes so much?" Oz asked sharply.

Jack froze. "What?"

"You're always looking like you want to pull out your own eyes like the Will of Abyss did to Break."

"Oz...you aren't the one who is nothing. I am," Jack said softly. As the cursed, wicked human lay there, wondering over his past life memories, he wondered, what would they think of him now?

Oswald was a dead-ringer for Severus. Hence why they hadn't gotten along from the start. But Alice and Alyss were refreshingly innocent, sweet young girls who knew nothing of lying wizards, of lies and half-truths. Yet he had done the same thing the horrid Headmaster had done to him.

* * *

Jack stopped upon hearing a soft voice call out. It must have been coming from the boy who possessed Oswald now.

"...Jack, no, Potter, why have you become like this?"

Jack's eyes narrowed in fury upon hearing that name, that disgusting name he had disassociated himself with. He surrounded himself with B-rabbit's chains again, oblivious to how Alice was crawling on the ground moaning in pain and Oz was begging him to stop.

"Glen, my name is Jack Vessalius. I know nothing of this Harry Potter. Only one thing is certain:you stand in my way to get Lacie back."

Oswald, no-Severus stood his ground, getting back up. "You're still the arrogant bigheaded brat, Potter. Has anything at all changed?" He growled. "Oh, yes, it has. You're a brutal, violent, selfish, psychopathic killer now."

"No, on the contrary, Glen, I am quite sane. I have just-" He opened his eyes, which were now blood-red due to Oz's power being unleashed as he held B-rabbit's scythe, "Opened my eyes to reality. _Goodbye, Glen." _

The scythe came down on Glen again as everything went black.

Jack chuckled as he stood over Glen. "What? Did you honestly think I was that _same_ naive, gullible little boy you could keep in line by using little threats to keep me in check? No, I'm not that disgusting, little annoying, pretentious brat. I've grown up, Severus, or Oswald. You shall die."


	2. Chapter 2 Day of my death

**A/N:Yeah, this fic is pretty dark. This chapter describes how Jack met his end as Harry Potter and was reborn as Jack. It's better than it sounds...I wanted to do my own original take on the Harry betrayed by everyone he cares about cliche and maybe make it so he died, and see how that affected the universe. Think about it, though...Harry always gets crap piled on top of him. It's not fair. **

* * *

**Two: The Day the Innocent died**

"Jack."

Jack could hear Oz's whimpering voice, whimpering just as he had done on that day one hundred years ago whenever Alice had told him Oz the rabbit was screaming and crying about how he didn't want to kill anyone anymore...only this time it was different. Oz wasn't a rabbit, he was a boy, no he was a monster in the guise of a boy. But...hadn't that been what his relatives had said about him?

Instantly, Jack stopped and clutched his head. He didn't _want _to remember; he did not want to remember those things. He had promised himself that he would forget about them. He was Jack Vessalius now, not Harry Potter. He was Lacie's savior, the best friend of Oswald, and a guide to Oz, a so-called master to Gilbert, and a co-conspirator with Miranda Barma, a friend to Arthur Barma...

He shook his head. "No, I don't _want to remember. No." _His voice quavered.

Oswald smirked up at Jack. "What's wrong, Potter? Having second thoughts about killing me?" He taunted.

The scythe was aimed just inches from Oswald's throat and yet Jack hadn't sliced his throat open. Oswald had his suspicions that Jack Vessalius was the Boy-Who-Lived for quite some time, but he hadn't been entirely sure of it until now. Though it was amazing, comparing the stark, raving mad blond with the dark-haired young man he had been once before. The Harry Potter he had known had been a disgustingly arrogant and egotistical brat who held himself to be so great because he had survived the Killing Curse and his parents were dead. He had been just as arrogant as his father was, and Potter had been proud of that fact. Every time he had been knocked down, he'd come back stronger.

Whenever he had first met Jack Vessalius, Oswald could honestly say that he felt a sense of deja vu upon meeting him. But he also felt a strong dislike for the young man. He just couldn't place it, but now, looking at those disgusting green eyes reminded him of...people he didn't want to think of.

'Lily,' He thought, not referring to a certain Baskerville who also went by that name. Just like his life as Severus Snape, he, Oswald had to kill someone who was close to him. First he had let Lily die in his first life and in this new life, he had to kill his sister, Lacie.

'Nii-sama...'

He could remember her anguished whisper; the way she looked into him with those soulful eyes of hers before she had been dragged down into the Abyss. Once again, just like his past life, he was powerless to prevent anything from coming to pass. Things just happened and he dealt with it. Once again, he had lost someone close to him. Lacie was almost, but not exactly, a carbon-copy of Lily, but much different. She had been with him and had never resented him for anything he'd done.

Even from the moment he'd dropped her into the Abyss, she still loved him. As a sister, though. He knew that the only one she'd ever loved was Jack Vessalius and Jack had returned her feelings. He smirked upon seeing that Jack was shaking, pale. His red eyes were back to being green again, same emerald green that they had always been, filled with fear, the fear of a young child, no longer that of a one-hundred-year-old murderer. Now he looked exactly like he had back in the old days, when he had been that stupid boy Potter.

* * *

"What's wrong? Go ahead and kill me, Potter. You've always wanted to," Severus, or Oswald muttered under his breath. "Come on, Harry, kill me."

"Who's Harry?" Oz asked.

Jack didn't make a sound. Instead, he was staring, wordlessly at him. Eventually words came out of his mouth. "_Shut up." _He growled.

"What's wrong, Potter? You've found yourself so full of your father's arrogance that you honestly think you can kill me? You never could," Oswald said.

"I sliced through you, you bastard," Jack groaned. "I cut you into pieces."

"Yet you were crying over my death," Oswald said. "It is as I told Dumbledore; you always have been and always will be a freak, Potter."

Instantly, something snapped inside Jack then. He stared at Oswald and smiled.

"Oswald..."

Suddenly, he sunk the scythe down into Oswald's shoulder, oblivious to the screams of pain coming from both Oswald and the boy who had been dragged into this mess, Leo. "Please, Oswald...do not call me by that damned name. That name does not belong to me anymore. Jack is my name, don't you remember it, Glen?"

"Enough, enough playing games! You are Harry Potter."

"Stop saying that name," Jack hissed, with an undertone of hatred that frightened Oz. The young boy had never heard him speak like that before, and he jumped back a little. Jack blinked upon seeing his chain looking terrified of him. Alice looked scared as well.

"Jack, what's going on? Who's Harry Potter?"

"That's no one in particular, Alice," Jack said, "I'm sorry if I'm hurting you, Alice, this is for the better good..." He looked at her confused face, "Even though he took care of you when you were human, he considers your sister a distortion and wants to get rid of her. Can you accept that?"

Alice shook her head.

"I care about your sister." Jack began.

"Still trying to lead her on, aren't you, Potter?"

"It's Jack." He said. His fists tightened. "Maybe I started out using them in the beginning, but I have grown to care about Alice and her sister and Oz, unlike you, you disgusting piece of trash," He hissed as he stabbed Oswald even more, causing him to grunt in pain.

"I didn't. The world never turned their backs on me. Oh, wait, they always did, even back when I was that sniveling, disgusting part of me I wish never existed, I was treated like that back then, too." Jack hissed.

"What are you talking about, Jack?" Oz cried.

"Oz," Jack said in his mind, "Allow me to show you the part of my mind I have sealed off. You and only you will be able to see it."

* * *

Immediately, he drew Oz down into his memories. The power of B-rabbit was still with him, however, since Oz's consciousness was being drowned out, he couldn't draw out his powers, so he decided to bring out Alice's instead. Jack still had the B-rabbit's scythe in his arms and chains were encircling him, though more were encircling Alice as she got up and transformed into the B-rabbit, or Alice the B-rabbit right now.

"You mean to tell me I'm not truly B-rabbit?" She said.

"That's so. You are just borrowing Oz's power. But for now, while he's subdued, you can use his power. Use his power to kill Glen."

"But I can't. He's my uncle," Alice retorted.

His fists tightened upon hearing that word. "Uncle, huh? He's done a lovely job of hiding you away from the world, hasn't he? Did he ever truly care about you, or was it all a farce, Alice?" He whispered.

"Stop using me, Jack. I know you are using me." Alice cried.

"You don't even know what it's like to be used, poor naive Alice. You know nothing of pain and sorrow," Jack said. A different Jack seemed to show through, which both alarmed Alice and made her even more curious about him.

"What are you talking about?"

"Maybe Oz will tell you," He said ambiguously.

* * *

_He was so cold and hungry, too. He couldn't tell how long he'd been in this filthy cupboard for. They had thrown him out of his old room and locked him into the cupboard again. He hadn't had food for the past two days and he really needed to use the bathroom, but no matter how much he pounded on the door, they wouldn't let him out. _

_Fifteen-year old Harry Potter really needed to go to the bathroom, damn it. It was his birthday today. He had to get out. "Please," He begged, allowing alarm to show in his voice. Harry was unaware of the fact that a blond boy with emerald eyes was watching him in curiosity. _

_'This can't be Jack. He looks nothing like him. He still has green eyes, but why is he wearing glasses and why is his hair black? What's going on?' _

_"Vernon, are we going to let that stupid thing out?" Petunia said scornfully. _

_"I really need to go to the bathroom!" _

_Oz watched on in curiosity. The former rabbit, now turned human was quite curious about what was going on. "So he was treated as bad as I was when I was B-rabbit?" He whispered to himself. 'But where is Jack?' _

_"Let him out to go to the bathroom, Vernon," Petunia said warily. _

_"Thank you," The boy called Harry Potter cried out as he stumbled into the bathroom. When he had gone, he stumbled out. Suddenly, the mailman came to deliver the mail, and the uncle picked up a letter and read it. _

_"To Harry Potter...those freaks are still writing letters to you, aren't they, boy? Let's see what it says," He said as he ripped it open and started to read it in front of the horrified boy. _

_"__**Dear Harry Potter, you claim that you met Voldemort again, and that the boy, Cedric, who was with you, was murdered by him. I think you are a filthy, disgusting, murderer who should be punished. You killed another human being and yet you're trying to pin it on a wizard that's been dead for years. You're a total stone-cold freaking psycho. Why don't they just send you to Azkaban and let the dementors give you the kiss already?" **_

_He ripped open another one and read it aloud. "Dear Harry, I was beside myself whenever I saw the news. I didn't know what to think. However, regardless of what you told me, I will have to stick with the truth. I believe that you killed Cedric, Harry. Sorry, mate, I know we're friends and all, but I honestly can't forgive a friend who killed someone. I'm beginning to think maybe you were wrong about Voldemort coming back. You have to be insane. There's no way that someone like that could be rational. Harry, mate, I'm sorry to say this, but I just can't talk to you anymore. Mother won't let me talk to you. She won't let me come near a murderer like you. I guess this is the end of our friendship, mate. I really enjoyed it, but I can't be around someone that evil who could be in Slytherin!" _

_"Who's that, one of your former friends ditch you?" He sneered as he handed the letter to his wife and Dudley, who also read it. _

_"Dear Harry, I used to think I liked you. You killed my boyfriend, and for that I will never forgive you, Cho Chang." _

_"Dear Harry, I really wish we could talk, but my parents won't let me see you. They heard all about it and said they don't want to talk to you. Ron won't even listen to reason here. I don't know what to say, I don't know what to believe. I don't know if I can believe you anymore, but at the same time, I don't think you would kill someone. That's not the kind of person you are. Hopefully my stupid brother can see reason. Ginny." _

_"Dear Harry, I didn't know what I could do. I heard you murdered Cedric and I knew that couldn't be true-"_

_"See, someone does believe me," Harry said, but his uncle continued on speaking in that nasty voice of his. _

_"You and he were getting along well. Maybe Voldemort controlled you and made you do so. I've come to the conclusion that maybe, just maybe, you're not the boy I knew and grew up with. I hate to say this, Harry, but you might have been turned into a monster. I'm afraid I can't see you anymore. Hermione Granger." _

_Oz watched in horror as with each letter, the boy's eyes grew wider and wider until tears were pouring down his face and the relatives were all laughing at him. _

_"Stop laughing at me!" He cried. "The Headmaster'll stick up for me. Dumbledore won't ever betray me-" _

_A new owl flew in. Vernon caught it, and as he read it, he smirked evilly. "Dear Harry Potter, you are being informed of your expulsion from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the intentional murder of Cedric Diggory. You are to send us your wand, your books, and all of your magical items. If you do not surrender yourself willingly, you will be sent to Azkaban, without a trial. You have a week to abide by this notice. P.S. I am so disappointed in you, Harry. You could've turned out better than this. How did Gryffindor's Golden boy wind up becoming a stone-cold killer? I don't even know what to say anymore, Mr. Potter. We had such high expectations for you and yet you let us down. I never wish to speak to you again.- Signed, Minerva McGonagall." _

_Harry noticed there were tear drops on the note. Obviously, she had not been completely convinced. He then noticed the red letters at the bottom of the letter. It was from Dumbledore._

_"Dear Harry, I think you've been corrupted by dark wizards like Voldemort. There is no hope left for you. Your only hope is to die now. Turn yourself in to the authorities, Harry. Face justice. Never talk to me again. As of now, you are permanently banned from visiting Hogwarts." _

_At this point, Harry was now lying on the floor, sobbing hysterically. _

* * *

_"Ah, what's wrong? Little baby upset?" Dudley said, as he kicked his cousin in the side. "Let's see...they all talk about how invincible you are. Shall we test you?" _

_Harry pleaded and begged them to stop, but Vernon started to whack him with a cane and Dudley joined in with punches of his own. It was hard for Oz to watch the whole thing going on. 'My god, this is horrible. But this person isn't Jack.' _

_"Out, for now, boy," He said as he kicked the boy outside and left him there. _

_"So...hungry," He whispered. "Why can't I just die now? The Wizarding World hates me, I'm better off dead. I'm better off dead, better off dead." He hissed. _

_"Indeed, you are, you little freak." His Uncle said, as he came out, "I've got something that no stupid magical crap will save you from." He held out a knife. _

_Oz watched in horror as the man said, "You know, boy, none of them will miss you. They all hate you. Your own parents hated you, we hate you, and obviously everyone else hates you, too." _

_Little did the boy know that there was still one who believed in him and that was Ginny Weasley. _

_He watched as the knife was plunged right through the boy's chest. _

_"Come back...please," He whispered, holding out a desperate hand. _

_"No, go die." The door slammed shut. _

* * *

_Before he knew it, the wind started to pick up as it started to snow. The boy called Harry Potter still clung to life for several days, due to his magic healing him, but sooner or later the bleeding became too severe. Even his magic could not sustain him for that long. _

_He noticed that his skin was turning blue. He was simply cold. "It's freezing...I need a coat...Uncle, Aunt Petunia, help me, please..." He whined, raising a hand toward the door, but he knew no one would come. _

_He knew they wouldn't come, anyway. He could still smell his blood oozing out on the sidewalk, but he knew his relatives wouldn't care. They'd celebrate his death. Everyone would. Just then, a beautiful tune went through his ears. "What is that song? It's such a pretty melody," Harry wheezed. He looked up to see a dark bird sitting in a tree singing a special melody. It sat there and stared at the dying Harry Potter with an unusually intelligent look in its eyes. _

_By the time Harry's eyes slowly closed, he fell into a sleep from which he would never wake; and he had been covered over by snow the next morning. Oz at this time was completely devastated. The next day, the Dursleys had come outside to discover that Harry Potter hadn't bled to death, instead he had just frozen to death. Cursing the fact that their freakish nephew had died such an easy death, the Dursleys took their nephew's corpse and got rid of it, never once suspecting that it wasn't the end for Harry Potter." _

* * *

_"Mother...we need food." A five-year old boy said as he looked at his mother. _

_"Jack, he promised he would come back. How come he hasn't come back for us yet?" _

_"Mother, be patient. He will come back." The dirty blond boy said, "I need money to go and get food." _

_"How dare you speak to your mother that way!" The woman said as she cuffed Jack hard across the face and sent him flying. _

_"Mother...why?" Jack Vessalius moaned. _

_"You're worthless. No one wants someone like you." _

_'Even father didn't come back. I must be as worthless as she says I am,' Jack thought, scratching his dirty blond hair. Then suddenly the memories came back to him as his mom left the room; the memories of his life as Harry Potter and how he had been murdered. 'So how on earth did I wind up here? I've been reincarnated, but how or why?'_

_His fists tightened as he thought of his mother and all of the people who had used him in his past life. 'I won't let that happen again.' _

_Then, Oz's mind drifted through memories of Lacie and found out how much Lacie meant to Jack. Lacie meant much more to Jack the human than Oz the rabbit doll had, because he didn't understand human emotions like he did now. _

_She'd been the only one who had treated him like a human being. It was easy to see why Jack loved Lacie so much. To sacrifice his soul to bring the world down to the Abyss for a woman he knew for less than five months seemed insane. _

"You find me insane, don't you, Oz?" Jack whispered. "I suppose I am. But..." He pushed Oz's blond bangs out of his face, "At least I'm not a traitor like you are, Oswald."

"You sick son of a bitch." Severus whispered.

"That's right," Jack said, "I have never been your hero, merely your slave. I won't be a slave to the Baskervilles, either, Glen. Hopefully I will end this entire thing so the next time I am reborn, I won't have to worry about silly things like law and order. Stupid things like eye color."

Oz could see a young Jack Vessalius sprawled out on the ground, crying.

"I know for a fact that Mother doesn't love me. Father doesn't, either. No one did in my past life, either. So I guess my misery will just keep on following me, everywhere I go."

"Misery follows you? It's the same with me, too. My name is Lacie, what's yours?" A black-haired woman with crimson eyes said.

"It's Jack Vessalius."

"An illegitimate child, huh?" She said as she sat down beside him. "You must've had a hard time."

"You're a Child of Ill Omen." Jack said.

"You're not afraid of me?"

"No," He whispered, "Would it be strange if I told you this isn't the first time I've lived like this?"

Lacie gave him a strange look. "What are you talking about?"

The fifteen-year old shifted slightly. "Well...I've had dreams of a past life where I was betrayed and murdered, and I believe it to be a real thing." He said.

"Reincarnation is quite possible. That's what happens with souls in the Abyss. It's called the one-hundred year cycle. You're reborn in a hundred years again. Only people like me won't be reborn because we're cursed. I don't believe it, though. I believe even bad people can mend their ways and become good."

"Really?" Jack whispered.

"Jack, who you are in your past life doesn't matter. I just want to be friends with the you now."

Tears spilled down Jack's cheeks. This was probably the first time he'd ever seen such kindness, Oz thought and felt like crying, too.

"You remind me of the black rabbit doll that sits on my shelf and doesn't know what to do with himself!" Lacie said. "He's alive, but I haven't given him a name yet. Come with me and you can learn how to really be alive."

Then she just started to sing. For the first time, the memories didn't matter. For the first time, being the reincarnation of the boy-who-lived didn't matter. He was happy being himself...being Jack Vessalius.


End file.
